Water/Ways exhibit ends this weekend in St. Peter

Nicollet County Historical Society at the Treaty Site History Center in St. Peter is hosting Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street program.

The exhibit will run Aug. 13 – Sept. 25 in St. Peter.

Water/Ways reveals the central nature of water on our lives by exploring how Americans use water, how water unites communities, how water affects every element of life, and how Americans care for our water and protect this valuable resource.

As Governor Mark Dayton mentioned in his 2016 Water Summit speech, “we have critical water quality problems in Minnesota . . . we cannot ignore them. We have to face up to them and work together, to solve them.” Water/Ways addresses water resource issues while seeking active solutions to real water problems in the host communities and our state.

St. Peter story map

Explore this collection of stories about water to learn more about the community in and around St. Peter, Minnesota.

Each local host community will use the national water story in the Smithsonian exhibition as jumping-off point to tell their local water stories: the history; sacredness to Minnesota’s first people, the Dakota and Ojibwe; the land changes over time; the current stresses on water — and most importantly, the future story they are part of creating.

#WeAreWaterMN Instagram Contest

Be sure to follow the @MNPCA on Instagram and enter our contest to win prizes.

About Water/Ways

The Water/Ways project is meant to bring wide-ranging organizations together to learn together and discuss an issue that is central to community. If you live near one of the host cites, don’t just plan to attend the exhibit, but also consider how your business, faith community, school, lake association, or nonprofit could help with planning, or create accompanying programs and events during the exhibition. Contact the local host organization to get involved.

The Water/Ways exhibition is part of the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program, which is a partnership of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and state humanities councils. MoMS engages small town audiences by bringing Smithsonian traveling exhibits like Water/Ways to their communities.

In Minnesota, the project is led by the Minnesota Humanities Center, in partnership with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Historical Society, and the American Water Works Association in Minnesota.

More information

For more information about exhibit host sites, tour dates, and community activities, visit mnhum.org/waterways.